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Tag Archives: Ladders

When I heard someone at the gym saying this to his workout buddy, he was referring to the reason he doesn’t put up Christmas lights. He hates climbing on ladders.

For the record, I’m not too keen on climbing ladders either.

My immediate thought was how easy it is to dream of and visualize reaching the heights of our chosen field. The hard part is the ladder.

Choosing the right ladder, or series of ladders.

Our ladder needs to be sturdy enough to take our weight and the weight of everyone else making the same climb.

It’s easy to pick the nearest ladder or the one where we can see the top. But that’s not always the right one.

And, once we choose, how long should we climb before jumping to another ladder?

The real question isn’t about fear of heights or fear of ladders. It’s about your definition of the higher ground. Your definition of success. The “why” for your climb.

Are these easy questions to answer? Definitely, not.

Here’s the tricky part: your answers to these fundamental questions of why will morph over time. Something you thought was important in high school isn’t important when you’re 25, or 30. Similarly, something that’s important when you’re 30 isn’t so important when you’re 50, or 65.

Our answers also adapt to our surroundings, to the people we see the most. It’s human nature. We adapt to survive. We compromise to fit with those around us. Our perceptions are shaped by what’s closest.

The good news is that with the internet, blog sites, news sites, books, videos, and podcasts, the definition of “closest” has changed. While it’s true that we still work closely with the ten people that are near us, we have access to a universe of ideas and perspectives far beyond our “local” reach. All we have to do is choose to look.

What about heights and climbing ladders? They matter. But not as much as why you’re climbing in the first place.

“Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” –Stephen Covey